Surveying instrument

Abstract

A surveying instrument for projecting a distance measuring light to an object to be measured and for measuring a distance from a reflected light, comprising at least an image pickup unit for picking up an image of a spreading range of the distance measuring light, and a control unit for performing edge extraction from the image captured by the image pickup unit and for judging whether there is an edge or not within the spreading range.

1. A surveying instrument for projecting a distance measuring light to an object to be measured and for measuring a distance from a reflected light, comprising at least an image pickup unit for picking up an image of a spreading range of the distance measuring light, and a control unit for performing edge extraction from the image captured by said image pickup unit, wherein said image pickup unit picks up the image of the spreading range of the distance measuring light for each measuring point, and said control unit judges for each measuring point whether there is an edge or not within the image. 
   
   
     2. A surveying instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein edge extraction is performed for the spreading range. 
   
   
     3. A surveying instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein edge extraction is performed for an entire range of the pickup image. 
   
   
     4. A surveying instrument according to  claim 1 , further comprising a notifying means, wherein said notifying means notifies that the measuring point is inadequate when there is an edge in the spreading range. 
   
   
     5. A surveying instrument according to  claim 4 , wherein said notifying means is a display unit, and said display unit displays a caution notice when there in an edge within the spreading range. 
   
   
     6. A surveying instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein distance measurement is performed after it is judged whether an edge is present or not within the spreading range, and in case it is judged that there is an edge within the spreading range, said control unit stops distance measuring operation. 
   
   
     7. A surveying instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein distance measurement is performed before it is judged whether an edge is present or not within the spreading range, and in case it is judged that there is an edge within the spreading range, said control unit deletes a measurement result or makes the measurement result invalid. 
   
   
     8. A surveying instrument according to  claim 6  or  7 , wherein in case said control unit judges that there is an edge within the spreading range and in case it is confirmed that the measuring point is adequate, there is provided a canceling switch to make the judgment by said control unit invalid.